TransCyte®, a skin substitute derived from human skin and synthetic materials, may have helped to save lives in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.After the attacks, few hospitals in New York or Washington were prepared for the high number of burn victims rushed to hospitals for treatment. The Washington Hospital Center admitted a record 10 victims with second- and third-degree burns, and dozens more needed treatment in New York.
Surgeons often use skin from human cadavers to protect burn victims until their own skin can heal. However, a patient’s body often rejects the treatment within days. According to Smith & Nephew, Inc., which markets the product in a joint effort with California-based Advanced Tissue Sciences, TransCyte can protect a burn victim for up to three months. It protects the wound from fluid loss and reduces the risk of infection. It is also easier and less painful to apply to a burn than cadaver-derived treatments. TransCyte has to be applied soon after the original burn, however, which means speed is of the essence.
Hospitals around the country rushed to the rescue, with one facility in particular, the University of Michigan, sending supplies of TransCyte by van to the Washington Hospital Center. But this was not enough to supply the needs of all burned patients.
Smith & Nephew offered to send the material from its California plant, but with airports closed that wasn’t an option. The company then called the Federal Emergency Management Agency and asked for help in arranging an emergency delivery. The result: an additional 30 cassettes of donated TransCyte were delivered by private jet, and arrived in Washington by Thursday morning, in time to help patients.
All of the Pentagon burn victims are alive and conscious, and able to communicate with doctors and visitors.
